Uso de probióticos em terapia de resgate no transtorno depressivo maior resistente ao tratamento convencional

Abstract

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent of mood disorders and affects approximately 4.4% of the world population. Despite progress in the treatment of MDD, less than 50% of patients achieve remission after pharmacological treatment associated with psychotherapy. The present study found that the association of kefir with conventional treatment brought important clinical improvement to patients (according to the application of the Hamilton Scale for depression) and demonstrated a relevant anti-inflammatory action, a fact demonstrated by the significant reduction in IL-6 levels, CRP, ESR and total insulin. Although the sample was relatively small, the study showed great effectiveness of treating Major Depressive Disorder with probiotics when compared to standard treatment. Therefore, it appears that adjuvant therapy with probiotics can be an important strategy for the treatment of MDD. More studies are needed to confirm this possibility.